Jose Couceiro: I worked for the whole Russian football

He is an extraordinary. Came to Russia, when nobody waited
for him, - Lokomotiv in its usual self has just parted with Yuri
Krasnozhan, and was seeking a man, who would play “on hand”. Instead of
the request to reinforce the team with expensive foreigners, Jose
Couceiro suggested working with Russian players, and it would seem that
he surprised his leadership. Loko beat Zenit (4:2) and CSKA (2:0). It
didn’t disgrace himself, played “nice” football and fell down only at
the end of the season, when it was evidently the time to change the
manager.

Three years ago the present Couceiro’s team Estoril Praia
promoted to the top Portuguese league, than it could take part in the
Europa League group stage. Estoril was even allowed to play these
matches in their own stadium Antonio da Mota, that could hold at that
moment less than five thousand spectators. UEFA backed the beginner up
at first, turned the blind eye to discrepancies with the regulations.
But last spring it reminded the club of the fact that it had promised to
erect a normal side stand or so. One had to say good-by to the
considerable part of the budget (it amounts six million Euro per year)
and erect the construction, boxed about two thousand and a half
yellow-and-blue seats up into it. And now Estoril is again in the Europa
League group, in the same one with Dinamo Moscow.

I watched the
match of Estoril with Nacional, and Couceiro’s team got the first
victory in the championship in my sight. It was easy to understand that
Couceiro would have to work hard, and this work wouldn’t certainly be
grateful. Estoril sold everybody whom it could sell. It got about 4
million Euro from Galvao, Evandro, Carlitos. A season earlier a leader
of charges, Lica, transferred to Porto. For now seems impossible to
climb to success, for which the previous manager, Marco Silva, who took
Sporting. There are not any quite young footballers in the first eleven
as well. What is Jose Couceiro doing there? What is his aim, when he
spends about five minutes for blamestorming with three-four pupils for
whom he chews over something in details after the training that I
watched from a window of the club office, waiting for the interview?

You are not well-known in Portugal

—
Let’s begin with the fact that I work in my country, — responded Jose
Couceiro to the first question, being slightly surprised with it. — It
takes me twenty minutes to get to the stadium of Estoril from my house.
All things here are mine — my house, my family, my friends, my city of
Lisbon. I liked to work in Loko, and the conditions here, of course, are
quite different. But nevertheless, Estoril is a very interesting task, a
project. At the moment the new cycle is beginning, and it’s very
difficult for us. But we take part in the Europa League — it’s very
important and engrossing. Six matches with the top-teams —
Panathinaikos, PSV, Dinamo — it’s really great for us!

— And
now let’s speak about one and the only phenomenon, named Jose Couceiro,
in Russian football – a foreign manager of Lokomotiv, team’s line up
was the most “russian” …— It’s a very serious subject. In fact,
it was obvious for me that if there is a limit for legionnaires in
Russian football, it’s necessary for the team to have the backbone,
consists of strong local players. In our case, we began with the
defense. Shishkin played on the right and Yanbaev — on the left.
Belyaev, Burlak and Dyakov were taken to the center. Except CSKA and our
team, there were not Russian players in defense in the whole League!
But if you have three stoppers at once, who take part in the national
championship, it’s really magnificent! Let’s go further — Tarasov, then
Ozdoev and Glushakov were in front of stoppers. Phew! (Lifts his hands in dismay).
We had no problems. Do you know why? Because it’s more easy to prepare
backs than forwards. And only after you have laid such a foundation, you
can take some boys from abroad. Because it’s very difficult to invite
the other Russian players — they are very expensive. But it was worth
working with young players painstakingly, as there are surely plenty of
boys with great potential in your country, in Russia. But they must
play, play and play! They must be given a chance to advance. Even in
case if they made mistakes. The Russian football tradition is the
following — made a mistake — seat down on the bench! May be at the
present moment, the relation is beginning to change as a result of the
fact that the State interposed in the matter and practically ordered to
advance Russian football players. Do you think I had another vision
while working in Turkey with Gaziantepspor? It was just the same there:
It’s easier to put together a team using local players than relying on
legionnaires.

— There are no limits in Portugal. And you have excellent young players.—
The situation is quite different here. One Dinamo player is worth more
than the whole our team. It’s very difficult to team up with foreigners
in Portugal.

— Where was it easier to work — in Turkey or in Russia?—
Of course, in Russia. Working conditions are better, Gaziantepspor has
nothing in common with Lokomotiv, which is much more powerful. It may be
compared only with Besiktas, Fenerbahce…

— As a matter of fact
you defeated Fenerbahce with Gaziantepspor (2:1). Both goals were
scored by the former Loko player Julio Cesar. Was it he who consult you
before your taking over Lokomotiv?— No, it was not he, but I
took advice of the other boys who were playing in Russia at that moment.
It was quite enough for me to watch some matches by video to realize
the fact that the potential of your football is great. And I don’t mean
only Loko. Several clubs of the Russian championship at once were deemed
to be a serious forth — Krasnodar, Kuban, Dinamo, CSKA, Spartak and
Zenit, of course.

— Let’s clarify the situation: using the
Russian line of defense in full was your strategy or your strategy was
born as a result of your contacts with the board?— It was my
strategy. You know I must choose my own first eleven and the team’s
lineup as a whole. And be responsible for this team. Along with that,
making such a decision, I considered it as a long term plan, not only
for Loko, but for the whole Russian football. Look, people here in
Portugal, practically don’t know your players. And the fact that you
give little attention to them, is very strange. It’s quite clear that
the club of Loko level has two main goals — to appear in the
championship and to appear in the European Cups. And qualitative
reinforcement is necessary for taking part in the European Cups. But the
basis must always be one and the same. The balance is necessary. Your
players are very emotional. A football player must be able to control
his emotions both on the field and out of it. Spokoino, spokoino! (In Russian).
It’s just the game! Why should one hold the emotions at bay? Because
playing football is very difficult in principle. It’s the only game one
plays by feet. It’s very difficult. Especially in cases when you don’t
control yourself. In this case you lose everything. For example —
Ozdoev. He is a very emotional boy. He is very good, but too emotional.
He can simply get mad at the drop of a hat, be bonkers. But if you take
him by an elbow in a happy hour, draw him aside and repeat several times
in a static tone: ”Calm down!” And you realize that he is a very good,
sensible man. But one should work with him bit by bit, by careful steps,
and may he make mistakes sometimes. All players at the age of 18,19,20
commit blunders, and it’s absolutely normal!

— Is the same sort of thing with Torbinski?—
Yes, Torbinski is emotional too. But he has a great talent. The only
problem with him is a lack of stability. Torbinski is a typical
representative of the so called “old school” of football players. He can
play one game at the outstanding level, and then he isn’t seen for five
matches. I used to tell him: You must play at the high level statedly,
and only in this case you will permanently be capped. And if you
remember, Dick Advocaat drew him up all the time. Then the situation
changed. I remember one of the last matches with Dinamo. We had no
forwards at all: Pavlyuchenko picked up an injury and Maicon as well,
something was wrong with Сaicedo. And Torbinski played a striker! He
played brilliantly and scored a goal. His talent allowed him to do a lot
on the field. But he met with failure, being aged between 21 and 27.
You know, I remember him quite well by reference to play-off matches of
the European championship, when my U-21 team of Portugal met with the
Russian team. We lost in Moscow 1:4, but at home we retrieved the defeat
and won 3:0…

— By the way, what sort of miracles happened at that moment? I can’t say that there were a lot of stars in the Russian team except Torbinski.— (Falls to thinking).
Shishkin? He was, wasn’t he? And Denisov? Not so few good players,
indeed. But we retrieve the defeat. Portugal was always very strong with
junior and youth teams. But if in Russia one begins to give chances to
your youth in the first eleven, it seems to me, you will be pleasantly
surprised.

— Your fellow-countryman, Jose Mourinho, tells very
amusingly in the Net as he was patiently instilling into Balotelli the
idea to go easy on the field whatever happened, but he went and received
the red card off the reel. Did similar situations happen with you and
the above mentioned Torbinski, Ozdoev?— (Laughs).
Footballers should be prepared for a play mentally. But nevertheless
nothing will insure you from emotional breakdowns, there are times when —
bout — and a man blows up in half of a minute. Bang! And nevertheless
you must work. Even if it’s very difficult.

— If Ozdoev blew up, then Pavlyuchenko, on the other hand, in the words of Gus Hiddink, should be awaken in time.—
Yes, Pavlyuchenko is quite different. It’s difficult to say, if I had
to awaken him, but while my working, he was constantly restrained by
injuries. He often recovered, and had to miss trainings. He is 32 now,
isn’t he? May be, Pavlyuchenko has reached the ceiling, each player has
got it.

— And what about Sychev?— He is a good,
professional boy. At all events, I adhere this very opinion about him.
Sometimes he got into the first eleven, sometimes didn’t, but these
decisions were only “technical”. As a whole, I can say nothing against
Sychev.

— Are you in the picture, where are your former young pupils now?— Of course! Ozdoev and Burlak are in Kazan. Belyaev picked up an injury, and is still in Loko.

—
Could Burlak and Belyaev form full-fledged pair of stoppers for the
Russian national team? They complemented one another, you know…— They are totally different! Belyaev is faster, reasonable and intelligent. Burlak is very strong (beats his hand by the fist with a flap). He always played tough. Two together really did a very good job. To play is more difficult than to say.

— Olga Smorodskaya…— (Laughs). My Ex-president?

—
Yes. After your leaving she spoke highly about you. Something like,
Couceiro made decisions, concerning the team’s line-up, governed by
absolutely sport principles.— How could it be otherwise? My task
is to make the team win. And every new game can’t be similar to the
other, one must constantly think up something, bearing in mind different
circumstances. Estoril is not the same kind of thing that Vitoria
Setubal, and it, in turn, absolutely differs from Lokomotiv. Different
conditions, players, characters. In my view, football is a team at
first. And only the team can play as a star on the pitch. Not a separate
player, not a manager, but — the team! We all must work for achieving a
result — I, the president, the medical team. But only players come onto
the pitch and obtain or don’t obtain the result. To play football is
much more difficult than to speak about it (Laughs).

— Let’s get back to the point — Belyaev and Burlak? Why did this bunch break up?—
I give you an example. We played with Atletico in the Europa League
play-off. Belyaev and Burlak played from the start against Llorente.
From the side it might seem that the manager himself willingly reposed
his head on a guillotine. However the boys played very well. But soon we
played with Anji and Burlak made a decisive mistake. And how everybody
tore at him! Why?! For what? All people made mistakes. Take it easy,
relax tension a bit. One need patience while working with young people.
But, of course, at the same time I realize that fans, the leadership,
the press required to win all matches…

— Jose, did you try to learn Russian?— Oh, yes. Ya ne panimayu po russki. (Laughs)
To tell you the truth, I understand speaking, when it’s slow. Did you
notice that Portuguese sounds absolutely the same as Russian?

— Sure! Being in Portugal, I look around all the time as it seems to me that all people around me are speaking Russian.— That’s it! That’s why it wasn’t very difficult for me to understand your speaking. But I didn’t learn the language specially.

—
Most people in our country now think that only a Russian speaking
manager can open access to local players. And this trend reached the
peak of popularity when Fabio Capello failed with the Russian national
team in the World Cup. Your example denies a lot.— But what can
be difficult in communication with the players? You know, except the
Russian and the Portuguese languages, there exist the body language, and
it works especially in football. I’ll not ague the fact that if you
know the language of the country you are working in, it’s your
advantage. But is it difficult to get by heart and to understand, what
“davay” (“come-on”) means. It’s not quite difficult to learn “odin v
odin” (“one on one” — I.Z.) In general, football now opens all doors in
front of you, and one must be able to drink in knowledge and experience
from everywhere. Why, being in Portugal, should I retire my shell and
speak only Portuguese? Any new experience is of benefit to you.

When the manager is not needed.

— What do you feel, when you see Glushakov in the Russian national team?—
I’m glad of him! And Tarasov as well, in spite of the fact that he was
out of luck — picked up an injury just before the trip to Brazil. If you
remember, we began to lose with Loko after Tarasov having picked up an
injury. Yes, we had a lot of problems with attacks, but the key part of
the field was that, where Tarasov and Glushakov played. Denis is also a
fine fellow! But now he is in Spartak, not in Loko.

— And again about your former bosses. Who stuck to your memory most of all — Olga Smorodskaya or Vladimir Romanov?—
I wouldn’t like to have a talk directly about them. I always try to
keep in with everybody. And I have my own point of view at the same
time. It’s the following: only the manager must hold responsibility for
the team and make decisions, concerning it. And if a president or a
sporting director begins to press — the manager is no longer needed.
However I always open for dialogues about football with anybody. But the
latest decision must rest with me. This is my decision and my
responsibility. And as for that conversation about the strategy, it was
easier for me to make the basis from Russian players, and then, using my
information about foreign football, to strengthen the team more. Such
an approach could score success for a long time. But Loko changed the
manager and the strategy with him. It’s not right — the club must have
its own way, in accordance with which it could develop for several
years. There were Fitsov, Shishkin, Belyaev, Burlak, Dyakov, Yanbaev,
Tarasov, Glushakov, Ozdoev in the team, Gagatov was, and Smol’nikov has
been earlier. It was a sufficient base to rely on, wasn’t it? If you
have no money to buy a player with a Russian passport under conditions
of the limit, to train him! But you have to wait, work and endure, the
stars will not appear on the field for no particular reason, Jesus will
not come and create them.

— Gus Hiddink said that the players
in the Russian championship don’t insufficiently meet speed-power
requirements of the modern football. Fabio Capello says the same things
now.— That’s exactly why one must begin to play at the top level
at the age of 17-18, and don’t wait for anything obscure! If a player
gains experience under conditions of tough competition, in this case he
will exactly become a full-fledged football player when he is 22-24
years old. Why do you have a good national hockey team? The reason is
that your boys begin to play much and often at an early age. I remember
Dyakov. I invited him to the first team and offered an opinion that the
leadership should conclude a contract with him. And I was said:” What
good will it be to you? What a lot of stoppers — one, two, three, four…”
But he is Russian indeed! He must be saved for the club. At least
Dyakov left. He has played in Rostov, now he is called up to the
national team…

My boys were better than Durica

— By the
way, what has happened with the Portugal national team lately? There
are plenty of players, Cristiano Ronaldo smiles broadly over and over
again, but the team forces the manager to resign just at the beginning
of the qualification cycle…— Now the generational change of
players takes place in the team. But we have an advantage: a lot of
Portuguese footballers appear abroad in powerful leagues, and that’s
why, I think the situation will change soon. But Russian players
represent only their clubs. At that, of course, mistakes are unavoidable
while renewing of the team’s line-up. After all, Portugal is always
unique. We number ten million in all. There is nothing like it in Europe
at all. And, indeed, it’s difficult to find such a country in the whole
world — only Uruguay is the same. That’s why we don’t worry about our
future.

— Yes, I see. If you don’t want, we’ll not speak about the president, named Olga…— (Interrupt).
Listen here, listen! Our opinions differ from each other. When my
contract was completed, she had the full authority not to suggest a new
one. I respect her decision. But if you asked me, whether I’d like to
work in Loko for two-three years, I would answer: ”Yes. Of course”. When
I began the project, I reckon approximately on such a period.

—
Here it is one more quotation, confirming the fact that Smorodskaya
evaluated your work honestly: “Our place is a failure. But the work as a
whole wasn’t a failure.” To tell you the truth, then she added, that
you knew why it were you who didn’t cope with the work at the end of the
season, but she said, you didn’t want to speak about it.—
Listen here! But we had a lot of problems! Generally I know her point of
view, I know the opinion of the Sport director. And I respect all of
them. But my decisions are only my decisions. For example, Durica now is
a key Loko stopper. But in my opinion, those Russian boys were better.
But I repeat it again, it’s my own point of view. May be it’s a mistake,
I don’t know! But I think so. I’m always honest with players. It
doesn’t matter for me how old a player is — twenty or thirty. Age and
nationality don’t play a key role. If Caicedo is in good looks — he’ll
come onto the field. If not, Pavluchenko will play. This is an exemplary
player – Maicon. He is a team player, he’ll play where he’ll be told.
But Glushakov is exactly the same! “Glushakov, play in defence”. — “Of
course, manager!” — “Play on the left”. — “No problem!” Torbinski is
nothing of the kind. New and old schools differ in brainwork. If you
were learnt in a different way, you would think differently in middle
years. That’s the reason why the manager must appoint the team’s
line-up! I had no problems with anybody — either with Olga or with
sporting director Smertin. While the draw in Nyon we even called on the
phone, it’s really pleasant to communicate simply. Loko is my past.
There is no use in wasting my emotions on it.

— I can’t but
answer you the following question: when you came to Loko, were not you
interested why Yuri Krasnozhan had been dismissed practically before the
beginning of the season?— Naturally, I asked, as it was
important for me to understand. In reply I got quite different
explanations. By the way, I’m in with Syomin and I knew that he tied the
score on the Loko field not long ago, and I understand how it’s
important for him. (Smiling). But I was also surprised that we
lost in my last seven matches with Loko. All in all it’s a big club. I
tried to understand the culture of the country, people, not only those
who worked in the club, but around it too…

— But what did Smorodskaya tell you about Krasnozhan?— I didn’t ask her about it. It’s not concern of mine.

—
Then let’s speak a bit about your adventures abroad. Before Loko, you
succeeded in working with the Lithuania national team: outplayed Rumania
in the away match of the qualification cycle with the score 3:0, then
won Austria, the Faroes… But nevertheless you didn’t get a place. Did
anything go wrong in the middle of the way?— Except it, we lost
to France both times as little as 0:1. The problem with Lithuania is
that football is not the sport number one. Basketball prevails there. We
had an excellent group of players, topping fellows, both as players and
as people. But the team was too small. We had no reserve at all.
Lithuania needs much more players to come to the European championship
or the World Cup. Besides they must play abroad, but not only at home.
At that time Stankyavicius and Danilyavicius appeared in Italy,
Yankauskas had almost finished…

— Did the Lithuanian experience help in Lokomotiv?—
Of course! At that, in spite of the fact that Lithuania and Russia were
united by the Soviet Union, people differ very much. Russia is a big
country, and even in different towns and cities people are widely
different. People in St. Petersburg are not as in Moscow, in Krasnodar
they are radically different. But for me the only division was always
important — into good and bad people. And both good and bad people are
in the world. And one more division — into serious and windy. And that’s
why to understand people better, I always take at least one assistant
who has worked in the club, I’m going to. Because I have my own opinion,
but in some cases it would be necessary to correct it.

— In conclusion, explain me, please: how did you, the famous patriot of Lisbon, one day manage to head Porto?—
I’m just a professional. And I repeat once again: football is not a
war. There are a lot of people who always seek war and conflicts in it.
But football is just a game. And it doesn’t matter for me where I work.
Porto or Loko is one and the same thing.